Move over, Jane Fonda! According to Entertainment Weekly, it looks like the long-awaited remake of the 1968, campy, sci-fi classic “Barbarella” will be coming to theaters in 2010. The pet project of mega-producers Dino and Martha DeLaurentiis, the cinematic reinvention of the cult motion picture is rapidly becoming the hottest talent draw in Hollywood.
It has been a long road to completion for this film, with numerous directors, screenwriters, and actresses rumored to have been attached to the project during the past decade. At one point, horror auteur John Carpenter was said to be helming the film. In 2007, director Robert Rodriguez took a stab at writing a script for the project, intending to develop the film as a star vehicle for his girlfriend, Rose McGowan. However, funding for the production fell through, and both Rodriguez and McGowan moved on to film the “Planet Terror” segment of the exploitation compilation, Grindhouse. The latest reports have Australian filmmaker Robert Luketic (“The Ugly Truth”) attached to direct a screenplay drafted by up-and-coming screenwriter Joe Gazzam (“Riot,” “21 Jump Street”).
The original film version starred Fonda as Barbarella, a beautiful, sensual female mercenary who regularly faced many adventures in the distant future, clad in fabulously scanty 60s outfits. Based on a character in a 1962 French magazine, Barbarella was charged with the responsibility of traveling through the universe to find and destroy her evil nemesis, Durand-Durand, a task she completed with a full measure of campiness and sex appeal. Per EW, the movie was fun and light-hearted, with the corny dialogue and cheesy seduction scenes claiming the focus of the audience rather than any serious story lines.
This new incarnation will highlight the ingenuity and intelligence of the heroine, rather than her rampant sexuality, according to the Hollywood Reporter (via Reuters). The character will still exhibit sensual wiles and a close-to-indecent display of flesh, but the film itself will be far more plot-driven and include much more action and adventure than the original.
The casting grapevine has been working overtime since Rodriguez was first attached to the project. The name of almost every young starlet in Hollywood has been bandied about, but it appears that three actresses have been short-listed: Sienna Miller, Jessica Alba, and Katherine Heigl. According to Digital Spy, Alba is considered by many in the industry to be the frontrunner, though, given the De Laurentiis’ proclivity for discovering new talent, it is likely that a relative unknown will be plucked from the masses to fill the role.
Rebecca Davies, Digital Spy, “Alba is favourite for ‘Barbarella’ role” http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a171107/alba-is-favourite-for-barbarella-role.html
Borys Kit, Reuters, “New ‘Barbarella’ in works”
http://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSTRE5760TO20090807
Wendy Mitchell, Entertainment Weekly, “New ‘Barbarella’ expected to be sexy but less campy”http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/08/06/ugly-truth-director-robert-luketic-to-helm-new-barbarella/
